Hlakudi Edward Nkoana
Pretoria
Summary
Skilled horticulturist professional using extensive knowledge in planting preparation and propagation to cultivate quality crops. Works with care and attention to develop and maintain optimal nursery conditions. Maintains excellent physical fitness levels for manual labour requirements.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Groundskeeper and promoted to Sector Coordinator
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria
01.2016 - Current
- Plan, prioritize, assign, supervise, review and participate in the work of staff responsible for providing landscape, irrigation, and swimming pool maintenance
- Supervise employees, keeping attendance records, enforcing proper uniform and safety equipment use, and approving time cards
- Establish schedules and methods for providing assigned maintenance service; identify resource needs with appropriate management staff; make recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards and procedures
- Participate in the selection of maintenance staff, provide or coordinate staff training; work with employees to correct deficiencies; monitor expenditure
- Attend and participate in professional group meetings; stay abreast of new trends and innovations in the green industry
- Assist in procurement of landscape equipment, machinery and material; ensure adequate inventory; maintain records
- Ensures all work is completed in adherence to safety policies and guidelines
- Conducts weekly safety training and safety inspections on job-site
- Manage greenhouses, shade houses, and sometimes storehouses and field plantings in the department of the University; and sometimes supervise subordinates
- Installation of office plants for faculty members, design and preparation of decoration for events within the campus
- Design gardens and implementation of landscape installation and inspection of the university gardens
Conservation Horticulturist
South African National Biodiversity Institute
05.2013 - 12.2015
- Nursery based duties: Propagate plant material from propagules collected in the field during field trips
- Undertake propagation trials to determine best practices for propagation protocols for threatened species
- Conduct ex-situ propagation of threatened plants species
- Conduct nursery and field research of threatened plants species
- Assist with plant propagation for use by botanical garden
- Development of living collections to excellent standard including monitoring and evaluation
- Participate in and conduct botanical fieldwork, conservation and restoration research
- Conduct botanical fieldwork in line with WSNBG policy contribute records to WSNBG/Pre herbaria and ispot
- Survey natural areas of WSNBG and contribute records to WSNBG herbarium and ispot
- Assist and participate in plant conservation and restoration work in line with TSP policy of WSNBG
- Identify areas/ species in need of conservation/restoration work
- Report on activities and progress
- Field based work for e.g
- Plan and research field trips, apply for permits, travel to field localities and collect plant samples along with detailed field records
- Project management (Garden Based Projects): Coordinating and planning of landscape installations in WSNBG
- Assist with / coordinate supervision and on-site management of landscape projects
- Assist with costing and implementation
- Report on activities and progress
- Develop of staff and mentorship (Human capital development): Assist with on-the-job training and development of garden & nursery staff and horticulture students
- Advance own career growth and development
- Conduct bi-annual performance assessments for all staff under your control
- Report on activities and progress
- Safety management on site for self and all staff under your control: Ensure compliance with safety regulations for areas or responsibility
- Ensure all stuff under your control is equipped with correct and functional PPE
- Provide on-site training where necessarily on safety issues
- Office based duties: Process herbarium sample collected in field
- Submit photographic records to the iSpot
- Curate local herbarium under supervision of Herbarium Curation
- Write plant of the week articles for publication on SANB's Plantzafrica.com website
- Plan field trips
- Apply for permits to conduct botanical fieldwork
- Assist with logistical planning and procurement wrt, areas of your responsibility
- Draw up specifications for procurement
- Follow procurement requests through delivery
- Assist procurement officer with administrative requests to conclude procurement process
Horticulturist internship
Polokwane Municipality
Polokwane
03.2013 - 04.2013
- Assisting with nursery management and procurement of resources
- Operating of chipper machine, processing of compost and preparing of growing medium
- Propagation by seeds, cuttings, division of mother plants, transplanting and hardening-off of nursery plants
- Maintenance of nursery plant stock by watering, training lollipop, weeding and applying chemicals
- Pruning trees and removals of branches around Polokwane town
- Designing and preparations of decorations for events and conferences in the city hall
Trainee Agricultural Advisor
Limpopo Department of Agriculture
07.2011 - 06.2012
- Soil sample and classification, soil preparation, sowing of seeds and transplanting of seedlings to the field
- Maintenance of farm crops by scouting pest and disease, chemical application and fertilizer application
- Irrigation of crops by various method of irrigation such as furrow, sprinkler, center pivot and floppy irrigation method
- Nursery management, pruning of trees, budding and grafting
- Procurement of agricultural machinery and resources such as fertilizers, chemicals, parts of tractors etc
- Training farmers on how to cultivate various agricultural crops on small-scale farm
- Establishing and monitoring trials of industrial crop called tobacco plants under Universal Leaf South Africa
- Assisting the grounds man maintenance team by maintaining and developing the college gardens
- Attending workshop about sunflower, soya beans and maize meal in Delmas (PANNAR)
Trainee Green keeper
Servest Turf
Peter Mokaba Stadium
01.2011 - 06.2011
- Maintenance of cool season grass and preparation of the pitch for match days
- Fungicide treatments
- Herbicide, fungicides and pesticide applications
- Planning irrigation schedule and setting automatic irrigation box
- Post-season treatment by vertical cutting, top dressing with silica sand, inter seeding and field topping
- Hollowtyning, line marking, inter seeding and verti-draining
- Repairing the divots on the turf surface after match days
- Cleaning the turf surface after the game with mounted rakes on the tractor and blowers
- Specialised fertilisation programmes
- Marking of hazards, out of bounds and ground under repair
- Maintenance and check list of turf grass machinery
Trainee horticulturist
Top Turf Group PTY (Ltd)
University of Limpopo
08.2009 - 12.2010
- Propagation and maintenance of nursery stock plants
- Designing and preparation of decoration and flower arrangement for events and conference in the campus
- Garden design and landscape installation
- Implement a landscape maintenance program
- Team leader and maintenance of the gardens around academic areas in the campus
- Pruning of trees-ensure safety precautions when working with trees
- Work inspection within the campus
- Maintenance of the turf grass in sport field and golf course
- Maintenance of irrigation systems and horticultural machinery
- Health and safety management within work place
- Assisting with hospitality flower arrangement and outdoor & indoor landscape installation project for 2010 FIFA World Cup at Peter Mokaba Stadium
Education
Baccalaureus Technologiae - Horticulture
University of South Africa
01.2013
National Diploma - Horticulture
University of South Africa
01.2011
Grade 12 -
Mountainview Senior Secondary
01.2006
Skills
- Computer Literacy
- Irrigation
- Conservation management
- Plant identification
- Project Management
- Landscaping
- Plant Propagation
- Swimming pool maintenance
Accomplishments
- South African Nursery Association bursary holder
- Book prize award for best student in plant identification in UNISA beginners and advance practical's at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden
- Designing the garden display at Garden World for Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden winning a silver medal
- Received merit award in biology and geography in grade 11
Affiliations
South African Nursery Association, 6 years, Student membership
Custom Section
- Edwardhorti@gmail.com
- Nkoanahe@tut.ac.za
Hobbies and Interests
- Gardening
- Botany
- Conservation
- Farming
- Drawing
Languages
English
Upper intermediate
B2
Sepedi
Proficient
C2
Personal Information
- ID Number: 8802196063086
- Gender: Male
- Nationality: South African
- Driving Licence: Code C1
Certification
- Project Management
- Computer Literacy
- Pest Management
- Irrigation Installation
- Health & Safety Induction
Timeline
Groundskeeper and promoted to Sector Coordinator
Tshwane University of Technology
01.2016 - Current
Conservation Horticulturist
South African National Biodiversity Institute
05.2013 - 12.2015
Horticulturist internship
Polokwane Municipality
03.2013 - 04.2013
Trainee Agricultural Advisor
Limpopo Department of Agriculture
07.2011 - 06.2012
Trainee Green keeper
Servest Turf
01.2011 - 06.2011
Trainee horticulturist
Top Turf Group PTY (Ltd)
08.2009 - 12.2010
Baccalaureus Technologiae - Horticulture
University of South Africa
National Diploma - Horticulture
University of South Africa
Grade 12 -
Mountainview Senior Secondary